February 22, 2016

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

The American Red Cross will hold its SILENT/LIVE AUCTION to benefit the Saluda County Red Cross on March 11, 2016, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at Juniper Restaurant in Ridge spring.  Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served and beer and wine will be available.  Tickets are $35.00 each or 2 for $60.00, Tickets are available at Juniper. The sponsor is the American Red Cross of Central South Carolina.

Ridge Hill Education Association Lenten Services Calendar for the year 2016 has the following service that start at 7:00 PM .Wednesday which is February 24^th services will be held at Pine Hill Baptist Church. The scripture will be John19:26-27 and led by Rev. Jerome Smith.  The subject will be “Woman, Behold, Your Son”. Wednesday March 2^nd the Lenten Service will be held at Reedy Branch led by Rev. James Freeman.  The scripture will be Mark 15:34 “My God, My God, Why…”  All are welcome.

Off the Beaten Path continues to grow and change.  New items are arriving this week.  There will be vintage items like clothing and home decor.  You will want to make sure you come in early on Fridays to get our home baked breads and sweets by Samantha McCure.  Many of you will remember Samantha from the Farmer's Market.  Make sure you follow us on Facebook to see what is changing and what is new. We look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones.

Sadie Davis: Sunday, September 21, Mt Alpha, my church, celebrated its annual Black History program.  Several youth read facts about a select group of Black entrepreneurs.  Marvin Summers asked everyone over thirty-five years of age to come up front and surround him.  He read the story, The Other Side, by Jacqueline Woodson.  He demonstrated the importance of reading picture story books to children how various walls (fence) can be a barrier to relationships.  Sharon Padgett told the story about Thomas Dorsey and how life’s circumstances can cause one to change.  He also wrote the song,” Precious Lord”.  Angie ,Chloe, and Juan Hammond performed in a short skit, “The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman”.  The choir and congregation sang a variety of gospel songs: Wade in the Water, On The Battlefield, Oh Freedom, Walk With Me.  Rev. Eldwin, Pastor, message was taken from Genesis 18:10-14 and Galatians 2:20.

Our fellowship continued in the Hightower Fellowship Hall where members and community friends displayed a variety of arts and crafts which included the following: cross stitch items, crochet, Knitting, Macrame’, embroidery, homemade jellies, pickles, fruit cakes , turtle candy  (chocolate/peanuts), dress making, floral arrangements, door wreaths, hand painting and bird houses. Marquis Davis made sixteen bird houses, each one had a different style and a name of a sister, brother and parents. All arts and crafts were excellent and the committee expresses gratitude to all participants for being so supportive.  Clifton Felder and Joseph Butler prepared lunch bags and everyone was served.

I enjoy writing positive news about our area.  Yet I am seeing a lot of trash on the roadside and on back roads.  Near our farm are two separate piles of mattresses and a few tires to boot.  I wondered if the recycling center did not take mattresses but THEY DO TAKE MATTRESSES. The problem, I assume, is people not knowing the hours.  Just remember they are closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  They are open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1:00 to 7:00 PM. Saturdays they are open from 7:00 to 7:00 and even open on Sundays from 3:00 to 7:00.  Put this on your refrigerator so as to remember it better.

Rene Miller, RSM Elementary School

Summer Camps:  Time to start planning summer adventures for students 2nd grade and up! Register for 1 week camps throughout the state before April 1st and receive a $40 discount. Camps include techno-adventure, marine science, wildlife, 4H and extreme adventures! Information will be sent home soon, so be on the lookout.

Reminders from Nurse Bearden: Parents/Guardians, please be reminded that any over-the-counter medication that your child needs to take at school must be given by the nurse. This includes Ibuprofen, cough drops, Tylenol, etc. These medications must be in the children's form. (Children's Tylenol, etc.) A responsible adult MUST bring the medication into school. Students can NOT transport medications to school. The nurse must also have a permission form signed by the parent/guardian before it can be administered. Any prescription medication must also have a physician's signature or a copy of the prescription before it can be administered. If you need a permission form, please stop by the nurse's office or print one from the district website. If you have any questions, please contact the Nurse at 803-685-2004.

The Trojan Pride from the Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle/High School

Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest: The Martin Luther King Jr.Steering Committee, in conjunction with University of South Carolina Aiken’s Inclusion Advisory Council

(IAC) invited Aiken County students to enter a contest by submitting a poster or an essay. Students in grades K-5 were to create posters that showed their responses to the question: “What does the MLK holiday mean to you?” Our students in grades 6-12 were to write an essay about what the following quote from MLK meant to them: “If you can’t fly, then run, If you can’t run, then walk, If you can’t walk, then crawl but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” Ms. Jones challenged her classes to write essays to enter the contest. Our own Felicia Anderson came in Second Place in the district-wide competition. When asked how she felt about winning, Felicia responded, “To be selected as a winner in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest, indeed is a true honor. I didn’t expect to win. Most importantly, I tried my best, and it showed. I am proud to represent my school, Ridge Spring-Monetta High School. The message from Dr. King’s quote will forever remain inside of me: ‘...but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.’ Without a doubt, I will keep moving forward to pursue my goals and dreams.” Congratulations to Felicia!

David Marshall James reviews "Spinning Laughter” by Richard Irvin:

   Consider "Star Trek":  The billions and billions (in full Carl Sagan intonation) of dollars that have resulted from its many TV incarnations and its film franchise.  A TV show can set up its producing team with a never-ending pot of gold.  Thus, stars such as Ethel Merman (premise:  A pre-Sam Malone barkeep) and Bette Davis (premise:  A live-in decorator) tried to land sitcoms of their own during the early 1960s.

   Merman and Davis made what were termed pilot episodes.  As well-known as those ladies were, why not cook up a new series with established characters, such as Fred and Ethel Mertz of "I Love Lucy"?  That is, spin-off a new series from one already on the air-- or cable.

   It might have been, but Vivian Vance (Ethel Mertz) never took a shine to William Frawley, who played her husband Fred.  Producer Desi Arnaz even offered Vance the then-astronomical sum of $50,000 just to film a pilot, but alas.  V.V. went on to costar with Lucille Ball on "The Lucy Show," evidently finding her other coworker more palatable.  In other instances, a set of hitherto unseen characters could be introduced on an episode of an established series and then be spun-off into their own milieu.

   Such an episode is termed a "back-door spin-off," as author Richard Irvin explains in this informative rundown of failed spin-offs, from the 1950s to the 2000s.  "The Andy Griffith Show" was birthed from an episode of "The Danny Thomas Show" in which Danny is pulled for speeding in Mayberry, North Carolina.  Poor Danny, who produced the Griffith show, which has been playing since its debut in 1961 was rather surprised to hear Oprah Winfrey proclaim it as her favorite TV show.

   "Happy Days" was born as a back-door spin-off of the anthology series "Love, American Style."  Therefore, two of the most popular sitcoms of the 1960s and 1970s-- and beyond-- resulted from back-door spin-offs, which are an inexpensive method of producing a TV pilot, in that they air as episodes of a regular series.  And the gravy train kept rolling, with "Gomer Pyle" spun off from "The Andy Griffith Show," and "Laverne and Shirley" spun off from "Happy Days."

   It's not surprising that Jackee Harry almost got her own show out of "227,"or that the Blair and Natalie characters were considered to head up two spin-offs from "The Facts of Life," which was begat from "Diff'rent Strokes."  Too bad "The Facts of Life" actress Kim Fields evidently didn't earn enough coins portraying Tootie on that show, as she has landed in the midst of the shade-throwing "Real Housewives of Atlanta," complete with a haystack hairdo to upstage the say-what tresses of NeNe Leakes and Co.

MAGNOLIA RIDGE ANTIQUE AND ART GATHERING will be held on MAY 21^st from 9:00 AM UNTIL 4:00 PM. To save a spot please call 561.262.7475 or email bevarndt36@gmail.com

Reminders:

Recycling Center Hours

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1-7

Saturday 7-7

Sunday 3-7

Closed Tuesday and Thursday

Ridge Spring Library hours: Mon/Tues 8:30 am - 12 pm; Wed., 12:30 – 4:30; Thurs 8:30 am - 12:00 pm; Fri 8:30 pm -4:30 pm

Ridge Spring Library Toddler Time Mondays at 10:30

3^rd Thursday:  FORS at Ridge Spring Library 5:00 pm

1^st Tuesday of the Month:  AARS meets at 6:30, 685-5783

 Wednesday:  AA meets at Recovery Works

 Monday & Friday:  Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings 7 pm at Recovery Works (enter on Ponderosa Drive; park in Visitor Parking Area)

February 8, 2016

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

The Friends of Ridge Spring will meet Thursday at 5:00 PM at the Ridge Spring Library. One of the items on the agenda will be noting what the Saluda County Council shared the ATAX monies with us.  ATAX money needs to be spent on attracting tourism to our area.  With the Peach Tree 23 Yard Sale, the Farmers’ Market and other activities FORS will continue to support our community and attract tourism.  A big “thank you” goes to the Saluda County Council.  Join us.

You can tell spring is getting close.  The Big Mo Drive-In Theater in Monetta has a sign up saying they will be opening on March 4^th.  I see all sorts of bulbs popping up through the ground, too. We do need some cold hours for the peaches to set up and bloom.

Ridge Hill Education Association Lenten Services Calendar for the year 2016 has the following service that start at 7:00 PM on Wednesday February 17^th and will be held at Jerusalem Baptist church.  The scripture will be Luke 23:24. The preacher will be Rev. Dr. Butler and the subject will be “Father Forgive Them.”  All are welcome.

Next Wednesday which is February 24^th services will be held at Pine Hill Baptist Church. The scripture will be John19:26-27 and led by Rev. Joseph Smith.  The subject will be “Woman, Behold, Your Son”.

The Helpful Hands Mission would like to thank the Ridge Spring Monetta Elementary School for donating over 1400 items to our Community Food Band. This was an outstanding act of kindness. Our food bank is open every Sunday from 12 noon to 2:00 PM.  We are also asking donations for our community youth ministry we need DVD's Books, Kids Tables and Chairs.

Mount Alpha Baptist of Ward, SC will have their Black History Program on Sunday February 21 at 11:00 am. Everyone is invited to see all the Art and Craft that will be on display in the Fellowship. There will be a bag lunch. 

March 4 & 5 are dates for Aiken's AAUW 54th annual book sale. At least 50,000 books will be available and they will be sorted by category. Hardcover books are only one dollar.  For more information go to aauwaikenbranch.org  

Rene Miller, RSM Elementary School

NFL Player Visits RSM: Dekoda Watson of the New England Patriots visited RSM on Monday, February 8. He was here in support of the American Heart Association, for which our students are currently raising money. His Foundation,

“Koda’s Kids”, donated money to the cause. He also spent time with the students as they exercised in the gym to the Wii Dance Party. Dekoda joined in and danced with them. We would like to thank Dekoda for visiting and for the generous donation.

First in Math: Our students are competing against themselves, students in our school, and all across the nation to boost their math skills. We will update biweekly in the school newsletter to let you know who is in the lead within our school. For the week ending February 5: Our school has completed 504,882 math problems. We have earned 168,294 stickers. The team of the week is Mrs. Carson’s 1st grade class. The player of the week is Dylan Harris. He earned 191 stickers. He is in Mrs. Carson’s 1^st grade class.

The top team for each grade level is: Kindergarten: Mrs. Hallman’s class; 1st Grade: Mrs. Carson’s class; 2nd Grade: Ms. Shrader’s class; 3rd Grade: Mrs. Cockrell’s class;

4th Grade: Ms. Thompson’s class; and 5th Grade: Mrs. Wilson’s class

The Trojan Pride from the Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle/High School

Ms. Douda challenged the students in her Sports and Entertainment Management class to create a model of an amusement park using the principles of logistics, so the  students not only had to plan how the amusement park would look, but they also had to plan how to make it work and be profitable. The winning project  was made by Leslie Long, Katelyn Taylor, and Nathaniel Williams.

Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford established a Student Advisory Council to meet with him each semester to discuss concerns and new ideas about the schools in our district. Students representing all 41 schools in the Aiken County Public School District were nominated by their school’s principal to participate. Representatives from our school are. 8th grader Morgan Berry. 9th grader Arturo Contreras, 11th grader Alicia Key, and 9th grader Jason Rodgers represented our school at the Student Advisory Council.

"The Lavender Lane Lothario" by David Handler; Reviewed by David Marshall James: Historic Dorset, Connecticut-- a fictional locale on the Long Island Sound-- is all about picket fences, center-chimney houses, and stringent building codes.  That is, when it isn't about the summer tourists and the pizzerias, beer halls, and ice-cream parlors they favor, but only from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

            Being the town's building inspector can get Dorset developers and summer-dependent merchants waving fingers and hurling insults at yo' face like a political candidate turning on his own, when he's low on positive polling percentages.

            Nevertheless, Dorset's current building-code enforcer is terribly zen about all those in-yo'-face threats.  Come to find out, there's a very good reason for that, and it's at the thrust of David Handler's eleventh Berger & Mitry mystery.

            Mitch Berger and Desiree Mitry make for an unlikely Nick and Nora Charles.  "Des" is in law enforcement, so solving crimes is the name of her game.  Mitch, a film critic, has seen every whodunit between Dorset and the Warner Bros. movie lot in Burbank, so he's picked up his skills via osmosis.

            Plus, the little old (and not-so-little-and-old) ladies of Dorset and environs just love pouring tea, literally and figuratively, with Mitch.  He's so plugged into the town grapevine that he could break its circuits.

            This Berger & Mitry mystery polls in as one of the best.  Handler never allows his story to drag, adhering to the Agatha Christie credo of holding mystery novels to 70,000 words, lest they be padded or contain enough plot for two books.

            The frequently sarcastic dialogue harkens back to an era of detective fiction and noir-ish novels in which the parlance is as pithy as a Christmas gift-box grapefruit.

            This novel's three-woman detective team and their repartee highlight a novel that's probably not going to receive its proper due of attention, so here's a high-decibel shout-out to both it and the series.

MAGNOLIA RIDGE ANTIQUE AND ART GATHERING will be held on MAY 21^st from 9:00 AM UNTIL 4:00 PM. To save a spot please call 561.262.7475 or email bevarndt36@gmail.com

Reminders:

Ridge Spring Library hours: Mon/Tues 8:30 am - 12 pm; Wed., 12:30 – 4:30; Thurs 8:30 am - 12:00 pm; Fri 8:30 pm -4:30 pm

Ridge Spring Library Toddler Time Mondays at 10:30

3^rd Thursday:  FORS at Ridge Spring Library 5:00 pm

1^st Tuesday of the Month:  AARS meets at 6:30, 685-5783

 Wednesday:  AA meets at Recovery Works

 Monday & Friday:  Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings 7 pm at Recovery Works (enter on Ponderosa Drive; park in Visitor Parking Area)

February 8, 2016

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

                                                                                       

From the Mayor’s Desk: We have begun to clean the mold from Town Hall. Our first task was to locate the leaks and water sources. The roof is flat which always presents problems. We are repairing leaks and pricing a new roof line. SCEG is working with us to upgrade the lobby, we have removed all the holly bushes from next to the building which were both holding moisture and sending roots under the foundation and breaking it allowing moisture to enter the back side of the building, and finally we will treat the mold and replace the inside walls and then paint. As you know the EMS has decided to put a stand- alone building at the corner of Oak and Trojan Road. This move is happening in the near future. As our plans stand now, the town will sell the building where the EMS and Police Department are presently located and return the police office to Town Hall.

Although we are being inundated with ads from the many candidates, you must make sure you are registered to vote.  No matter who you support, if you can’t vote, you can’t support anyone with what they need the most-your vote!!!!

MAGNOLIA RIDGE ANTIQUE AND ART GATHERING will be held on MAY 21^st from 9:00 AM UNTIL 4:00 PM. To save a spot please call 561.262.7475 or email bevarndt36@gmail.com

I can’t be sure if it is winter or spring.  Those bulbs are beginning to pop up through the soil and may like a little fertilizing.

RIDGE SPRING UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: A big thanks to everyone who participated in Ridge Spring United Methodist Church's 3rd annual Souper Bowl of Caring Lunch. 5 different soups, 4 kinds of sandwiches and too many deserts to name were enjoyed by 26 individuals ranging in age from 90+ to 8 months. Denver nudged out the Panthers in the love donations with a total of $133 collected. The Big Red Box was overflowing with donations of soup and other non perishables food (166 items). This was truly a community event as we welcomed guests from Spann UMC, RS Baptist church and surrounding neighborhoods. Thanks again to everyone who helped prepared the food, donated and came. See you next year!!

I am fortunate that I receive the emailed newsletters from both RSM Elementary School and the RSM Middle/High School.  What a simple way to keep up with what is going on in our schools.

Excerpts from the RSM Middle/High School Newsletter:

Alicia Key Book Review: Kindness for Weakness by Shawn Goodman: Due to a broken, abusive home, James always walks aimlessly around town. From his lifeless, chain-smoking mother and her drug addict boyfriend to his absent father and the always empty fridge, home wasn’t a place where James felt safe or even wanted to be. His solution was to get up early and just walk anywhere so that he wouldn’t have to deal with the abuse. Walking was his escape. Being fifteen and friendless, he always felt out of place and weak, but that is about to change. This book has a very serious tone mixed with action and tension. The book’s high point would probably be how James’s journey   parallels the plots of the two books he is reading in this book. Goodman portrayed the journey very well and realistically; the journey from boy to manhood wasn’t rushed. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a coming of age story or anyone who likes to see an underdog finally grow up and defend himself.

Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest: The Martin Luther King Jr. Steering ommittee, in conjunction with University of South Carolina Aiken’s Inclusion Advisory Council

(IAC) invited Aiken County students to enter a contest by submitting a poster or an essay. Students in grades K-5 were to create posters that showed their responses to the question: “What does the MLK holiday mean to you?” Our students in grades 6-12 were to write an essay about what the following quote from MLK meant to them: “If you can’t fly, then run If you can’t run, then walk If you can’t walk, then crawl but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” Ms. Jones challenged her classes to write essays to enter the contest. Our own Felicia Anderson came in Second Place in the district-wide competition. When asked how she felt about winning, Felicia responded, “To be selected as a winner in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest, indeed is a true honor. I didn’t expect to win. Most importantly, I tried my best, and it showed. I am proud to represent my school, Ridge Spring-Monetta High School. The message from Dr. King’s quote will forever remain inside of me: ‘...but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.’ Without a doubt, I will keep moving forward to pursue my goals and dreams.” Congratulations to Felicia!

Josie Rodgers:

It's a big week for us!  My niece Savannah turns 16 Thursday.  Annalee turns 15 Friday and will head to the highway dept.  My mom turns 39 again on Friday.  It's really special that she and Anna share birthdays.  They are having a special lunch date.  It's also Valentine's Day weekend.  Celebrations all around!  And reminders that we're getting older.

The Camellia Tea, sponsored by the Edgefield Camellia Club, will be held on Thurs, Feb. 11, at historic Magnolia Dale in downtown Edgefield from 3-5 pm.  The event is open to the public; no reservations are necessary, and admission is free.  Magnolia Dale is located at 320 Norris Street, Edgefield, SC 29824.

Baseball and softball registration for Edgefield County will take place Feb. 13 at the various fields in Edgefield.  Soccer registration will take place at the soccer field.  You can also sign up by completing a form and mailing it to EC Recreation or stopping by the office Mon-Fir between 8:30 & 5 pm to complete the forms.  For more info, contact Nick Wates at 637-2621.

RSM Elem (Rene Miller): RS-M Elementary is hosting a Community Learning Night on Thurs., Feb. 18, from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm. There will be a variety of activities to participate in. Please join us as we explore the exciting resources available in our school and community. The event will begin in the gym.

RSM High:  Congratulations to William Bedenbaugh for signing to play football for Newberry College! William is the son of Terry and Kelly (Rodgers) Bedenbaugh of Ward.  I guess I need to teach him the fight song and Alma Mater.  They may have changed the mascot to the Wolves, but they'll always be the Indians to me!

Reviewed by David Marshall James: "The Man That Got Away:  The Life and Songs of Harold Arlen" by Walter Rimler

Few benefactors of American culture possess such poor name recognition as Harold Arlen, who composed:  “It's Only a Paper Moon," "I Love a Parade," and "I've Got the World on a String."

   Those comprise a mere prelude.  How about:  "Stormy Weather," "Blues in the Night," and "Make It One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)."  One of his earliest hits, "Get Happy," is sounded by the University of South Carolina band at every football game.

   Oh say, have you heard "Lydia the Tattooed Lady," a Groucho Marx standard?

Still at a loss?  There's always "We're Off to See the Wizard."  And, of course, "Over the Rainbow."

   Why, then, oh why isn't Arlen's name on a par with those of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, George and Ira Gershwin, and Irving Berlin, all of whom were Arlen's good friends?

   Arlen never composed a super-colossal Broadway hit, as the above gentlemen did, time and again.  His "Bloomer Girl" did run well, but it's seldom revived.  Arlen was unusual in that his other three big Broadway shows of the 1940s and '50s-- "St. Louis Woman," "House of Flowers," and "Jamaica"-- featured all-black casts.  Indeed, Arlen's blues-and-jazz ethos landed him his first big break, composing the annual revues at The Cotton Club, Harlem's destination nightspot.

  The son of a Jewish cantor who almost disowned him when he married a Gentile, Arlen grew up in a racially mixed neighborhood in Syracuse, New York.  In other words and notes, his father intoned bluesily, while the neighborhood hopped to a jazz beat.  Arlen was perfectly suited to The Cotton Club, where Ethel Waters introduced his "Stormy Weather."

   If the public didn't pick up on Arlen's name, his fellow songwriters did, and many became lifelong friends.  As Berlin stated, "Harold's best is the best."  So Arlen was perplexed when George Gershwin and their coterie expressed distaste for his "Last Night When We Were Young."

   It took a teenager on the West Coast, who discovered a recording of "Last Night When We Were Young" in a record-store remainder bin, to become the song's cheerleader, often proclaiming it as her favorite.  Later, Judy Garland filmed it for one of her last MGM musicals, "In the Good Old Summertime," although the studio cut it-- the same studio that cut "Over the Rainbow" from preview showings of "The Wizard of Oz," twice.

   Nevertheless, the excised footage survives and can be viewed on DVD packages of "In the Good Old Summertime."  Garland shared her enthusiasm for the song with sometime-lover Frank Sinatra, who recorded it for his "In the Wee Small Hours" album, and it became a hit, twenty years after its composition.  This just goes to show how songs-- and songwriters-- sometimes take the long road to fame.

Reminders:

Ridge Spring Library hours: Mon/Tues 8:30 am - 12 pm; Wed., 12:30 – 4:30; Thurs 8:30 am - 12:00 pm; Fri 8:30 pm -4:30 pm

Ridge Spring Library Toddler Time Mondays at 10:30

3^rd Thursday:  FORS at Ridge Spring Library 5:00 pm

1^st Tuesday of the Month:  AARS meets at 6:30, 685-5783

 Wednesday:  AA meets at Recovery Works

 Monday & Friday:  Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings 7 pm at Recovery Works (enter on Ponderosa Drive; park in Visitor Parking Area)

February 1, 2016

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

                                                                                       

MAGNOLIA RIDGE ANTIQUE AND ART GATHERING

SAVE THE DATE   MAY 21^st     9 UNTIL 4

To save a spot please call 561.262.7475 or email bevarndt36@gmail.com.

The Town Hall building is infested with mold and there is trouble with the foundation.  To renovate the building the holly trees are going to have to be removed.  They are too old and too big to be dug up.  Sadly they will be removed permanently.

The Helpful Hands food bank is now located in the Helpful Hands Life Center 109 Pecan Grove Rd. Our food bank is currently open every 1st and 4th Sunday 11am -2pm. The Helpful Hands Life Center also offers many other community services for more information go to fullgospelpraise.com or email us atpastorkey@yahoo.com

Jane Autrey Insurance has relocated to 502 E. Main Street, Ridge Spring. We are growing and needed more space.  Thank you Ridge Spring and Saluda County for your support.!!!!!

RIDGE SPRING UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: On February 7th Ridge Spring United Methodist, RSUMC, invites you to a Souper Bowl Lunch of Caring. A selection of soups, bread, sandwiches, desert, tea/lemonade will be offered for a love donation or cans of soup. Both will be donated to a local food bank. This is a great way to kick off Super Bowl 50 and help ensure our neighbors have enough to eat, plus great fellowship. Join us for Worship Service at11 a.m. , then on to the Family Life Center for a Souper Lunch!! See you there. BIG RED BOX: February the Big Red Box (BRB) will be hungry for soup. (See announcement about Souper Bowl Lunch) The donated soup will be delivered to the Helpful Hands Ministry for use in their food bank. This is a local food bank serving our immediate community. Let's fill'er up with soup and work toward no more hunger. Donations may be left on the porches of the Church or FLC. A church member will place in the BRB. Worship Service at RSUMC is at 11 a.m. (Unless otherwise noted).  Listen to a meaningful  and thoughtful message by Pastor John Kneece. Come and find out what's going on and become part of this joyful and hard working congregation. There is a place for you!!

Farmers at the Farmers’ Market should be getting a letter soon about renewing your stamp to be able to accept vouches this summer.

Past Chairmen and Chairwomen of the Ridge Spring Harvest Festival and supporters of the Festival attended a meeting about the Future of the Harvest Festival on January 31.   There seems to be no chairman and the Festival is being place on hold.  The money has been designated as two thirds to be place in a CD and one third used to fund scholarships this year and potential seed money for a future endeavor.  All of us do not want to see the demise of the Harvest Festival but yet it is happening.  Thanks to all that attended and all past chairman and those who have worked with the festival through the years.

Bryan Taylor, town employee, stopped by Saturday at the shop.  He had gotten a big kick out of the mentioning of the Dick Tracy watch for guess what he ware for Trick or Treat when he was 6 or 7 years old?  He wore a Dick Tracy costume with that watch.  This reminds me to let you know that Harriet’s Garden is reopening in time for Valentine’s Day.  Order your roses early if you would like.

Harriet’s Garden will be open this week and every day next week to take your order for those roses.

Off the Beaten Path: For those of you who have loved Samantha McClure's baked goods at the Farmer's Market in Ridge Spring will be happy to know that you can now get her baked goods in the store. 

The Gables Inn & Gardens has Valentine packages for the whole month of February.  Package includes dinner for 2 at Juniper's or a private dinner at the Gables, bottle of wine with monogrammed glasses, gift basket of treats, and a gourmet breakfast.  Call to make your reservation!!  803-685-0099 or www.gablesinnandgardens.com

Josie Rodgers: Pressley Rae Rauton (my 3^rd grandbaby!) was born Wed, Jan. 20, at 2:40 pm weighing 6 lbs. 8 oz and measuring 19 inches long.  She is so tiny and so beautiful!  Big brother River welcomed her home and is such a big help!  Mommy is doing great.  All the grandparents, great-grandparents, and the great-great-grandmother are overflowing with joy and gratefulness!  We are still grieving our precious Leagrace, but we know that she is looking down from above watching over her little brother and sister.  We are blessed.  And for Miss P’s first full day at home, God blessed us with a sprinkling of beautiful snow! 

René Miller, RSM Elementary School

Talent Show

A talent show for students and teachers in grades 3 - 5 will be held on February 5. The cost to participate or watch is $1. A talent show for students in child development - second grade will be held later in the year. Students in all grades can attend both events. Money should not be sent until February 5.

First in Math:

Our students are competing against themselves, students in our school, and all across the nation to boost their math skills. We will update biweekly in the school newsletter to let you know who is in the lead within our school. For the week ending January 22:

Our school has completed 485,505 math problems. We have earned 161,835 stickers.

The team of the week is Mrs. Wilson’s 5th grade class.

The player of the week is Nehemiah Singley. He earned 255 stickers. He is in Ms. Fralick’s 5^th grade class. The top team for each grade level is:Kindergarten: Mrs. Martin’s class 1st Grade: Mrs. Kerby’s class; 2nd Grade: Ms. Shrader’s class; 3rd Grade: Mrs. Dressel’s class; 4th Grade: Mrs. Najmola’s class; and 5th Grade: Mrs. Wilson’s class.

Community Learning Night

RS-M Elementary is hosting a Community Learning Night on Thursday, February 18, from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm. There will be a variety of activities to participate in. Please join us as we explore the exciting resources available in our school and community. The event will begin in the gym.

From David Marshall James--"South Toward Home" by Margaret Eby:  Some writers' words prove so far-reaching that their readers travel from all points of the World to witness where they worked, to encounter the real-life inspirations for their fictional settings.  Such literary destinations include:

   Eudora Welty's longtime residence, built by her parents, on Pinehurst Street in Jackson, Miss., and the restored backyard garden designed by her mother, Chestina;

William Faulkner's familial manor, Rowan Oak, in Oxford, Miss., which features literal handwriting on the walls, lovingly preserved and maintained by the University of Mississippi; and Flannery O' Connor's farmhouse, Andalusia, just outside Milledgeville, Ga., where she spent many hours in the bedroom at the front of the house, a semi-invalid with her ears peeled to stories told by the many comers and goers at Andalusia.

   Those are some of the literary epicenters described by Eby, who has lived in Jackson, Miss., and Birmingham, Ala., and who remains a voracious reader of the writers whose "stomping grounds" she treads, seeking keys to the illumination of their fiction through the remaining realities of their experiences.

   Some such touchstones have been gone for decades, including the houses in which Harper Lee and Truman Capote resided as youngsters in Monroeville, Ala.  The old Courthouse stands, although it was once destined for the wrecking ball, and draws many visitors.  When Lee wrote the recently published "Go Set a Watchman" during the late 1950s, her childhood home had already been razed and replaced by a dairy bar, about which she writes in that early draft of what evolved into "To Kill a Mockingbird."

   The essay on John Kennedy Toole, author of "A Confederacy of Dunces," is my favorite among the eight selections in this thoughtfully presented and stylistically impressive volume.  As Eby reflects, Toole captured his home city of New Orleans more palpably and panoramically than even Faulkner or Tennessee Williams.

   Well, you cannot describe NOLA without imparting its actual flavors, and who better to do that than Ignatius Reilly, his massive protagonist, a connoisseur of jelly doughnuts and cheese dips, who frequently searches with his impressive tongue for stray crumbs hidden in his mustache?

   You can still take in a movie at the Prytania Theater, still buy a hot dog (as Eby does) from a vendor pushing a "weenie wagon" through the French Quarter, and still witness that "Neon Bible" (the title of an earlier novel, written by Toole at sixteen) out on the Airline Highway.   Amen to that, Brother.

Reminders:

Ridge Spring Library hours: Mon/Tues 8:30 am - 12 pm; Wed., 12:30 – 4:30; Thurs 8:30 am - 12:00 pm; Fri 8:30 pm -4:30 pm

Ridge Spring Library Toddler Time Mondays at 10:30

3^rd Thursday:  FORS at Ridge Spring Library 5:00 pm

1^st Tuesday of the Month:  AARS meets at 6:30, 685-5783

 Wednesday:  AA meets at Recovery Works

 Monday & Friday:  Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings 7 pm at Recovery Works (enter on Ponderosa Drive; park in Visitor Parking Area)